NPP Grassland: Vindhyan, India, 1986-1989

Data Citation

Cite this data set as follows:

Pandey, C. B., and J. S. Singh. 1997. NPP Grassland: Vindhyan, India, 1986-1989. Data set. Available on-line [http://www.daac.ornl.gov] from Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.A.

Description

Net primary productivity (NPP) was determined for three derived savanna study sites (Ranitali, Hathinala, Telburva) on the Vindhyan plateau in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, from 1986 to 1989. Monthly dynamics of above-ground plant biomass (and below-ground, to 10 cm) were measured at each site for two annual cycles (1986/87 and 1987/88), for grazed and ungrazed plots of 1-3 hectares, and in temporarily fenced plots for one year (1987/88). Above-ground NPP was estimated using trough-peak analysis of increments in live biomass, standing dead matter and litter (which avoids over-estimation of increments and hence NPP), and below-ground NPP was estimated from biomass increments combined with root in-growth studies. Mean ANPP for all three sites (ungrazed) was estimated at 572, 664, and 377 g/m2/yr, for 1986/87, 87/88 and 88/89, respectively; mean total ungrazed NPP was estimated at 1082 and 1391 g/m2/yr for 1986/87 and 87/88.

The three Vindhyan study sites (24.2-24.4 N 82.9-83.1 E) are situated 6-24 km apart, on the Vindhyan plateau at an altitude of between 315 m and 485 m, about 100 km south from the city of Varanasi (Benares) in Uttar Pradesh. The Ranitali and Hathinala sites are associated with climate data from the Renukoot weather station (annual precipitation 1145 mm), and the Telburva site with the Obra weather station (annual precipitation 926 mm). Climate is tropical monsoonal, with a rainy season from June to September, a cool dry season (November-February) and a hot dry season (April-May). The savanna grasslands which cover about 23% of the region have been derived from tropical dry forest over the past 30-40 years, due to increasing anthropogenic pressure and a change in land use to heavy uncontrolled grazing. The study sites were fenced for 2-6 years prior to the study.

In the absence of a long-term climate data set for these sites, an alternative climate data set is provided for Daltonganj, India (24.05 N 84.07 E).

Contact Information

Contact: Dr. J. S. Singh
Department of Botany
Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi 221005
INDIA

Telephone: +91 (542) 312989 (office); 312593 (home)
Fax: +91 (542) 312059
E-mail: jssingh@banaras.ernet.in

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